The Bunny in the Red
by DemonWriterX
Summary: A Zootopia Noir fanfic-based on the art from Bryon Howard. Nick Wilde, is a "down on his luck" private detective. With no cases (or no money) he face the possibility of living out on the streets, that is, until a mysterious and spite-fire bunny, name Judy Hopps comes strolling through his door with a plea of finding stolen jewels.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Zootopia noir chapter 1"

The rain fell like cheap liquor.

It soaked into the ground, leaving behind a foul taste and releasing the smell of dried blood into the air. The city of Zootopia, the garbage of the earth as he referred to it, always smelled the same during a storm. It smelled like petty crime gone bad, the type of crime that leaves shell-casings and a white chalk outline on the asphalt, soon followed by salty tears and dead rose petals. The weather always seemed to take in all those scents, only to piss it back onto the earth.

He hated the rainy season.

Not even the smoke of his cigar could push the smell

The small beat of his electric fan pulsed through the room, pushing away the thick smoke like a torn lover kicking out its two-timing spouse. He placed the empty shot glass beside his now empty bottle of

The slim bottle seemed to vex him and mock him for finishing her so soon. After just three shots, he had drank the very lost drop. He inhaled another puff of smoke into his sore lungs. Once he had his fun with alcohol, he could always come back into the warm embrace of Nicotine.

With one final kiss, he placed his fine cigar into his glass ashtray. The warm embers died out against the unfeeling glass. He tilted his white fedora down over his eyes as he leaned back against his chair. His tired eyes were closing, in expectation of another quiet and boring night in the office.

pUntil 'She' walked through his door.

pNick Wilde tilted his fedora up to look at the animal who had interrupted his nap. br

Nick was a down-on-his-luck private detective. He never would have thought he would fall upon hard times when he first set up business. With the amount of crime and thefts in the city, he should have had stacks of gold bricks in his safe from animals needing his "special" skills. With no such luck, he suspected the closest Catholic priest was seeing more action than he was.

With no cases or money, he had less than a month to pay the rent for his worn-down office, which also served as his

He lifted his head up and leaned back on his rickety chair. His red tail swept the floor clean, depositing the discarded hot dog wrappers under his desk, out of sight from his new customer. Water dripped from the ceiling, the drops plinking against the tin pail he had put out in the middle of the room. The constant slow rhythm seemed to silence the showers that pattered against his glass window.

He blinked at the small bunny standing by the doorway, slowly taking in the sight of her. She had grey fur and legs that would make the goddess Aphrodite jealous. The floor creaked in pain when she took a step into the dull light emitted from the flickering bulb that hung from the ceiling. She wore a rose-colored ruffled skirt and matching coat with gold buttons. No female in the city could afford that type of coat. The gold locket around her slim neck also told him how good she must have it in life. br

She wore a black beret over her ears,which showed off her diamond earrings. Everything about her just screamed the good life. She seemed like a real daddy's girl, the type of dame who wanted envy from those around her. Well, she got it. br

Ignoring her short height, she seemed to stand as tall as the skyscrapers outside, perhaps a result of an aura of authority that emanated from her. This competed with her sculpted curves, which cried out Vixen, but her eyes told a different story. Her amethyst-colored eyes seemed to fog over when she spoke with a voice that was softer than snow./p

p"Are you Detective Wilde?"

p"Depends on who's askin', doll." he replied, holding a sleepy gaze. He did not care for the rich, but if this girl had a case for him he was would take it, no matter how much he didn't want to. He straightened his red tie as he sat up.

pThe bunny closed the door behind her, obviously wanting privacy, before taking a seat in front of his desk. His nose crinkled from the smell of lavender on her neck. The scent of her perfume was strong enough to peel cheap wallpaper. She sat down with her paws clutching at the fabric of her skirt. Her eyes darted toward the door behind her, almost as if she was wishing to turn around. Nick reached for the right top drawer of his desk, taking out a pack of cigarettes. A good smoke was a good way to calm the nerves, if the lungs could handle it.

pHe held out a cigarette toward her.

p"No, thank you." she said putting her paw out in protest. He let out a scoff, putting the white rolled tobacco into the inside pocket of his mud-brown trenchcoat. The rich always preferred the cubans, he supposed. She coughed. The thick smoke and strong odor of liquor made her cover her pink nose and red stained lips. The whole room stunk like an alcoholic.

p"Please, I need your help." she whispered, before letting out another cough. Nick rolled his eyes, rose from his chair, and strolled to the lone window in the room. He forced the rusty hinged frame open, letting the smoke escape to the outside, only to be consumed by the rain. It brought some relief to bunny but pain to him. Already he regretted letting go of the sweet smoke.

p"Make it quick, will ya? I got places to be, animals to see and I don't have time to listen to some doll's sob story." he said, his irritability becoming obvious. Either that or the drink was making him cross. Her eyes narrowed, sharing his annoyance.

p"Some doll?" she repeated, her jaw clenched. "This 'doll' came to this backwater office to ask for some compassion and help from a fox, who smells like he came from the back of a bar."

pHis eye twitched, this dame was as aggressive as a tiger staring down the barrel of a shotgun. If she thought that just because she wore her best he'd be just another maroon in a dance hall, she had another think coming. Nick Wilde refused to be played by some rich, hoity-toity mistress. He crossed his arms.

p"If you're here just to tell me your husband been cheatin' on ya, then he has my compassion and you have my help in showing you the exit." tilting his head toward his solid oak door for emphasis. She stood up in a fury, the chair thrown to the ground. Her cheeks turned as red as the lipstick she wore.

p"I'll have you know that you are not the first male to be intimidated just because of how I carry myself. You treat me like I am your enemy, but you do not know me." He dug his paws into his pockets and took a step forward, ready to throw her out. He did not care how much dough she carried. He knew her kind.

The bunny took a sharp breath, her eyes fogging over, stopping him in his steps. "I came here for you because you are the only one who can help me. It doesn't matter to me if you are a fox, or your office smells like a dumpster, all I want…is you to help me."

pHe bit the inside of his cheek and cracked his sore neck. His paw scratched under his chin in thought before he leaned back against the wall. Something about her was throwing him off his game. It was as if she was a roulette and every ball that landed set off something different. He knew that if he placed his chips on the table, he would be in for a loss, but he couldn't help but gamble. She dressed like an heiress, but underneath she was a different animal altogether. That certainly spelled trouble, but he wasn't one to run from it./p

p"All right." he sighed, rotating his wrist. "Tell me what it is you want, then I'll tell ya if I'm up to it."/p

p"It's my family…" She sat down on his desk and looked down at her paws, almost in shame. "We have recently been robbed in our home, the thief taking every last jewel we owned from our safe. It was all that me and my mother had…".

Nick rubbed his chin while he listened. "They are worth thousands of dollars, and they were our livelihood. I had gone to the police but they were no help…"

p"Well the police never are." He replied with a dull tone. "They are occupied with the current drug cartels…" and from the murders caused by them, he thought.

p"Please, would you help me?" she whispered. "I'm desperate."

pHe shrugged "Depends sweetheart, there is the matter of my fee…"

pHer eyes widened slightly, making his narrow in suspicion as he circled his way around the desk toward her. She bit the inside of her cheek and squeezed the fabric of her skirt, wrinkling the fine material.

p"I…I don't have money on me, the thief took everything!" she exclaimed, her eyes glossing over. "But if you can locate the thief you can have one third!"

p"Tempting." he smirked, then scoffed. "But I ain't some chump buying fake rolexes. I need a portion of my fee, now." he stated firmly.

p"B-but…but I don't have anything. I have nothing to give!"

p"Nothing eh?…" he strolled right up to her, placing a firm paw on the desk. She froze when he wrapped his other paw around her locket, pulling it slightly by its nimble chain. "How about this?" He could tell it was real gold. The weight was almost perfect and the color shone brighter than most street lamps. His thumb grazed across the engraved words.

p'To my love'

pShe pulled away, snatching the locket and cupping it in between her paws, almost like she was afraid that he might rip it off of her neck. The dame was hysterical. br

"No! I can never part with this!" She exclaimed. It was more than obvious that something in that locket meant everything to her, maybe even more than he realized. Her mouth went into a straight line, catching her outburst and embarrassed by her own shouts.

"But…." Her paw went to her earrings. She took the small diamonds and placed them on the desk.

p"They're worth more than my necklace…that's enough, isn't it?"

pNick gave the diamonds a glance. "Yeah…yeah, it's enough." They were just enough to pay for rent and a week of food. "Just remember our deal, doll…" Her temple pulsed at the word. He could tell that she hated it. Good. "When I find your guy, I get one-third of the loot."

He sat down behind his desk, scooping the prized diamonds and placing them in his drawer, under lock and key.

p"Of course…" She brushed her skirt, as if there was dust. Reaching into her coat pocket she pulled out a white card, and placed it on his desk. "This is my private number, please call me if you have any questions."

She walked away and turned the knob to the door. She stopped and pivoted her hips to the side, giving him a sideways glance. "And by the way, my name is not "doll"…" br

He placed a cigarette in between his lips, lighting a match as he stuffed the card into his pants pocket. The flame seemed to flicker once she opened her mouth. "It's Judy Hopps."

And with that she walked out the door, disappearing like a dream, with only the scent of her perfume lingering.

p—–/p

pI finally finished this chapter! This is going to be a ten or so chapter long story. This story is going to be dark and gritty from what you have read, but don't let that sway you, it's going to have some light hearted parts. I hope you enjoyed it! br

Thank you" obsessivegeekgirl13/a for editing! ^_^/p


	2. Chapter 2

Zootopia noir chapter 2

It was past midnight when he left his office building, an hour after Judy Hopps left. The card she left seemed to burn against his thigh while her sharp-tongue pierced his thoughts. He couldn't get her out of his mind, trapped like a bird in a steel cage, no matter how many times he opened the door, the bird flew right back in.

There was a saying that when you look into an animal's eyes, you could peer into their desires and secrets. Yet, when he stared into her amethyst eyes, he found them hidden.

Something about her inched at his brain, but he wasn't sure if he should be suspicious of just glad he finally have a job to not end up sleeping under a bridge.

He knows if he finds out anything he is bound to give her a call. Whether it be good news or bad remains to be speculated. The harsh rain seemed to beat him as he made his way down to a pawnshop across the street. It was an old red-brick building, with steel bars on the outside of the windows making it look like a jailhouse than a humble store. He pushed opened the door, ignoring the closed sign and the annoyed black panther behind it, who happened to be the owner.

"Ah Wilde-" the old panther muttered under his tired breath. He snapped his bright yellow suspenders going back behind the counter. Already knowing the routine.

Before Nick could begin breaking his back for a bunny, first he had to make sure if her diamond earrings are real. He placed the two studded earings down on the wooden counter.

"I need you to tell me if they're real, Abe, and if they are, I want cash."

Abe let out a scoff as he took out his glasses from the breast pocket of his ivory-colored long sleeve. "Didja steal these, son?" he said with a strong, deep voice.

Abe was an old panther, who knew Nick since he was a pup. He was practically his second father. Nick worked beside him in his youth before he set out to become a detective. Even when going out on his own, he could always depend on Abe to help him if he ever had any problems. He gave Abe a slight chuckle.

"I got a job, Abe." Nick answered.

"Really now?" he said, not really believing him. He nimbly picked up one of the earring with his sharp claws. He intensly stared at the earrings and gave Nick a halfway glance. "You didn't trick some poor girl into giving these up?"

Nick sniffed, digging his paws into his pockets. "Not exactly."

Abe hummed. Nick's ear's flinched when he heard that sarcastic hum. It was something he heard far too often in his youth. When he was young, he used to hustle. He used to con animals out of their hard earned wages by playing them for fools. He could always convince a poor animal into playing a small gambling game against him. He always won, by cheating. A simple card underneath the sleeve always managed to stuffed his pockets. He could always play any animal the fool, but not Abe. He knew what he was doing. Underneath his well thought-out lies, Abe could lift the veil. Humming, was the way Nick could tell that the old cat saw right through him.

"It's a job, Abe, I swear it." Nick replied."Some cute little bunny came in and practically begged me to help her find some rag-tag thief that took her daddy's jewels."

"Cute is she?" Abe said with a smirk, placing the diamond down. "What an intriguing set of words there, Nick."

"Don't go there, Abe, you know how I feel about those stuck up rabbits."

Abe shook his head at him, like a disapproving father. "When are you going to rid yourself of this hate, Nick? I'm sure she is a nice girl."

Nick's brows furrowed and tilted his hat down, almost wanting to cover his eyes. "You should have seen her try to match words with me, Abe...she ain't no lady, if I didn't know any better, I say she's hustling me."

"Well she ain't." Abe replied scratching his white whiskers. Nick raised a brow and glance at the diamonds. "They're real, alright, the realist I have ever seen..."

"How real?" He pressed, his paws gripping the ends of the counter. Abe scratched his cheek, uncertain on how to price it himself.

" 'bout...a thousand?"

If Nick was sitting down, he would have fell over backwards. He let out a laugh, grabbing the back of his hat and pulling it down over his face in disbelief.

"So that bunny was legit."

The garbage-filled alley was between two brick buildings with no windows, perfect for meeting with his number one informant in the city.

Nick took out a cigarette from inside his coat pocket, lighting it with a match before throwing the stick into a puddle. He looked down the alley and kicked aside the nearest black bag making the cans inside, rattle loudly, alerting the animal who lived in the filthy alley.

Nick saw a pair of large ears stick up from a pile of newspapers before hearing the animal scurry quickly up to him.

"Ever heard of lung cancer, Nick?"

Nick Wilde puffed out a ring of smoke watching it float away. He gave the small fennec fox a glance. Joey Furre, was his name. A paranoid sociopath who makes his living talking to his shadow and helping Nick with his investigations. With Joey's small size he could sneak into any crawl space and with ears as big as radars he could hear almost anything. Maybe about stolen jewels.

"I hear nicotine does that-" Joey whispered, almost wide eye. He lifted the collar of his brown jacket up taking one last look around in the alley. As if afraid someone was standing behind him. The rain trickled slowly, the storm dying down.

"Your lung turns black like tar, it becomes tar! Isn't that somethin'? Makes it hard for you to breath..." He rubbed his paws together, blowing his warm breath onto them. His finger-less gloves not providing enough heat. "I'm thinkin' about quitting, maybe go on a vegan diet that every animal is talkin' about."

"You do that, Joey." Nick muttered with the cigarette still on his lips. "You listen to all that paranoia, speaking of listening...you heard anything?"

"I-I'm serious, Wilde." Joey continued, taking another look down the dark alley.

Nick looked back at the dying rain and the dying embers of his cigarette, taking one last exhale, he dropped the nub into a puddle of dirty water. "I should take better care of myself and you should too." He pointed out, "I bet youse already finished a pack already, haven't ya? That's how the tar starts...smokin' a whole pack in one day."

"I can quit anytime, Joey." Nick snapped. "And it ain't any of your business how many packs I smoke."

Joey put his paws out in defense. "Hey, can you blame me for worrying?"

"Do you have anything interesting to tell me or what?" Nick said, digging his paws into his pockets.

"I heard the wolf gang is planning an assault on the coyote brothers, heard some gun play gone bad..."

"I don't care about that, how about stolen goods?"

"What type of goods?"

"Jewels."

Joey scratched at his whiskers. "Hmm, I don't know if I heard anything about...jewels...you know my head's all jumbled about, maybe if you give me somethin' I might just remember."

Nick knew exactly what he wanted. He threw him a brown, greasy paper bag. He kept it warm and dry by hiding it underneath his coat. Joey caught it and opened the bag like it was some sort of gift that had fallen from the heavens. He inhaled the scent making him dig his paw greedily into the bag, taking out a sandwich. It was deep fried crickets on top of lettuce and tomato. His favorite food.

"How's that?" Nick grinned, he held up another brown bag. "And I got some sides to go with it."

Joey licked his lips. "What kinds?"

"First tell me what I need to know."

Joey took a seat on the filthy ground and took a greedy bite of the sandwich. "Rumors..." he muffled through the loud crunching. "Just rumors, ain't sure if it's somethin' but..." he swallowed, staring off into space. "I heard that there's was this jewel thief that went into hidin' about ten years ago, after he killed some guard at an art museum, took a red ruby that was a size of my head." He took another bite. "The thing is-" bits of food escaped his mouth making Nick cringe as if came dangerously close to his feet. "I heard he came back."

"To steal more jewels?" Nick asked.

Joey swallowed and shrugged. "I ain't sure, but from what I heard...No, but maybe, He probably sold the ruby, living the good life or he's lookin' to score again."

"Do you know who it is?"

Joey shook his head. "Nah, no one does, he's a ghost but like I said, it's just rumors that I heard at The Igloo, down at Tundra Town."

Nick rubbed his chin. A jewel thief wanted for murder. He would have to investigate further into the matter, he has to know if the rumors are more than that. Relying only on an animal like Joey, with a mind like his, would be like relying on a car with no engine. Yet, even a broken car has uses. He threw the other brown bag at Joey's lap. "Thanks...take care of yourself."

Joey popped the top of a pint of gravy and mashed potatoes. "I always do." and dug his fingers into the soft mush.

He buried himself in old newspaper clippings back in his office. He was searching in every newspaper clipping he had kept throughout the years. As far back when he was a pup. His file cabinets was filled to the brim from papers printed twenty plus years ago.

As a child, he was obsessed with puzzles and mysteries. Whenever there was a murder or a stolen item, he sat in his room and guessed on who might have done it.

Child's play.

He accomplished nothing in his make-believe, even if it did put him on the path of becoming a private detective. The money was nice too. Hoarding the old ink-stained pages might prove to be useful. If what Joey said was true, he should find the report of the jewel robbery. If he was more organized. The smell of the old newspapers stung his nose with its mildew. He pushed himself away from the pile of papers, unable to continue. The lack of sleep and the hideous smell made him turn in his seat. He rubbed his tired eyes.

He needed a break and he was out of liquor.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 "The taste of ice"

He spent all night reviewing the newspaper articles, everything relating to jewel robberies he set to the side to be reviewed a second time to find anything familiar. Most thieves leave an imprint of themselves at the crime scene. Those who are bold leave a calling cards, and those who are sloppy leave paw prints and pieces of fur stuck to broken glass. It took Nick a while to find the article relating the jewel heist in the Zootopia Fine Arts Museum. It was a small article, barely a column, from something so expensive. A red ruby, no bigger than a wolf's paw. In the pitiful column, it stated that the ruby was worth ten thousand and that the glass box container was shattered on the top. Enough for a slippery paw to reach in and run off with the ruby. The strange part is that he found no trace of a murder mentioned in the newspaper. Not even in the obituary.

His sore eyes stared dully into his glass cup, staring at the gold droplets of the remaining liquor he has. He rubbed his fist into his bloodshot eyes, his head pulsing in pain making him reach into his desk drawer grabbing two painkillers for his hangover. He pinned the article up against his speckled wall, with three more articles adding to it. All of what he believes could be the same jewel thief, crimes committed before the art heist. Nick, rubbed his chin in interest. From what he uncovered, all of the robberies had a big shiny jewel. The first was a blue sapphire taken from a private collection in the Tundra District, a familiar club he used to frequent in his younger years. The second was a sun colored topaz, taken from Outback Island in a homeowner's house. The third was an amysthest stone in the Rainforest District, from a police station. Nick chuckled as he imagined the inept officers powerless to stop one animal. All of the robberies were made before the art museum and now the fourth taken from a fiery bunny.

He still remembers the way her skirt danced when she pivoted her hip in the air. Her angry rose-lip scowl when she gave her private number to him. He could see the distain coming out of her eyes. He rubbed his thumb over the scrap of paper, ruffled and mangled from him taking it out and shoving it back into his pocket. He glanced at the clock above his door, it was late in the morning and he couldn't sleep. He dragged the massive rotary phone, hearing it scrape against the mahogany wood. He dialed the number. He press his ear against the metal, hearing it ring. By the third ring, he was sure he got stiffed. Handed a fake number and would only see her when she visits on her own time. He was about to hang up until he heard the deafening click.

" ?" Her voice pierced his brain. He sniffed and let out a chuckle.

"Have you been waiting for my call, darling?"

"Are you drunk?" She snapped, making Nick frown slightly. "Because it sounds like your slurring your words, or perhaps I heard you incorrectly?"

He leaned back in his chair. "I need to see where your jewels were taken."

"Whatever for?"

"If you want me to help you, I need to see your home or do think I'll dirty up the place?"

She was silent for a moment. "Wear clean shoes." and she gave him her address.

It was a long drive to the Bunnyburrows, the sunny countryside only made him narrow his eyes painfully. His car bounced against the litter of potholes that filled the winding streets. His cigarette waved side to side as he puffed the nicotine down to a small nub, ignoring the suffocating air inside his enclose car. He grabbed the turnstile on his door and rolled down the window, airing it out. Immediately his senses were overwhelmed by the sudden smell of wheat and sunflower from the fields he passed. Working farm bunnies, breaking ground with little ones running through the crops with baskets on their heads. Filled with their pickings. As he reached closer to his destination, he saw that his presence was unwelcome. He drove up the lonely dirt road, passing by bunnies working in the family field. He passed a large wooden sign, painted in white with the last name, Hopps. Just like the night he saw the disdain in her eyes, he saw it in the bunnies he passed by. Suddenly their work were interrupted by his presence and he knows why. Foxes were not allowed on a bunny's land.

He was greeted with pitchforks and shotguns when he stepped out his broken down station wagon. He raised a brow when one old grandpa pointed a barrel to his face. Nick, calmly lite another cigarette when the gruff bunny growled at him.

"Get back in your car and on your way, you piece of devil-filth!" He said, taking the safety off of his weapon. Nick was ready for the prejudice against him. The hatred he sees when animals look at him, to foxes. All foxes. He was used to it, except when it came to bunnies. They are the worst.

He flinched when he got hit by a dirt clod by a small bunny, no older than seven. One wearing dirty blue overalls. The dirt crumbled against his trench coat as Nick eyes narrowed at the small bunny, who picked up another one.

"Get outta here! Ya dirty fox!" He cocked his arm back, ready to nail him again.

"Benjamin!" A sharp voice rang. Suddenly all of the bunnies ears went up at once and their eyes turned to the white farmhouse. Detective Nick Wilde, followed their line of sight. Standing on the doorway, dressed in brilliant yellow sundress, was a storm. Judy Hopps stared down the young bunny. The fury reaching deep inside him, making him drop the clod of dirt to the ground. He whirled at her.

"That fox is trespassin' Sis!"

She stepped down, her eyes glued on him. "Not when he is a guest!" Her head swiveled to what Detective Wilde suspected was her massive family. "We are not savages! and put down that gun, Pop-Pop!" She said stomping towards him.

"Never!" His grandfather retorted. "I'll kill every devil-foxes that step on my farm!"

"Not when I'm around!" Nick's eyes widened slightly when the petite bunny snatched the shotgun right out of his paws. At first, the old bunny began to protest until Judy glared at him. "You forget that I am in charge of this farm Pop-Pop! That goes to everyone else!" She addressed giving the rest of her family a cold glare. "And I will have no race hating here."

She snapped the shotgun, dropping the bullets to the ground. Nick picked up another cigarette in his breast pocket as he brushed the dirt off of his coat. She shoved the gun into one of the adults in her family. A brown colored bunny, who looked just as afraid as the rest of the family.

"Get back to work, all of you." She muttered like poison dripping out her mouth.

Nick puffed out a smoke cloud and before it disappeared, the crowd did. Disappearing into the fields. His eyes fell on the little brother, who lingered behind. Judy faced him and pointed sternly to the field.

"Go on Benji, finish helping Pop-Pop picking berries."

"But Sis!-"

"Cut the gas." She said, slicing the air with her paw. Silencing him. Her brother pressed his lips together, his small paws turning into fists.

"But why is that fox here?" He demanded.

"One more word and no lunch." She said, making his ears lower. "And I just made a carrot cake." She pointed to the field again. "Now go."

Detective Wilde smirked when he saw her brother ran into the field, faster than any bunny he seen run. He glanced back at Judy Hopps, who crossed her arms at him. He puffed out another smoke cloud as he stared at her with boredom.

"My apologies, Detective Wilde. " She said softly. "I did not mean for you to get treated in such a way."

He hummed, amused. "Do they know that your family jewels are gone?"

"No." She replied. "Let's keep it that way."

He nodded slowly and flicked the cigarette on the ground, stomping the embers out. "Show me where you use to kept the jewels."

I'm doing NaNoWriMo challenge in November and in ZNN, sorry for the long wait for this one but I'm taking this challenge to hopefully finish this story before November ends!


	4. Chapter 4

The home smelled like wallpaper glue and fresh lilacs. Detective Wilde eyes fell on the many family portraits that hanged on the floral print walls. The portraits stretch from the door towards the end of the hall. He followed close behind Judy Hopps, his eyes falling on her wavy dress, bouncing slightly from each step and sway of her sinful hips. Detective Wilde placed a cigarette in between his lips, and snapped against his silver lighter.

Judy Hopps's ears sprang up from the noise and whirled around. Snatching it from his mouth. He raised a brow when she held his last cigarette in the air, holding it in between her two fingers.

"There is absolutely no smoking in this house." She said sternly and set the cigarette down on a nearby tabletop.

Detective Wilde sniffed. "It helps me think."

The bunny flicked her head back, letting out a scoff as she turned away from him. "You mean it makes you intolerable."

Detective WIlde slid his paws into his coat pockets. "That's how all you bunnies think." He leaned towards her with a smirk. "Why don't you try it out, Doll? It would be good for you to sin a little." He chuckled, making her huff irritably at him. She turned away from him, with her pink nose in the air. He saw her puff her cheeks and scoff at the idea. She walked off, quicker than she was before. He followed her to a small office space. He noticed how the large mahogany desk was clean of papers but full of dust, as if no one had entered the room. The large book cases were filled with family albums and fairy tale bedtime stories. They too, were also covered in dust. The only thing that was misplaced was a crooked frame that held a watercolor painting of a serene meadow, tossed aside on the floor. In a wall, was a metal safe, it was as big as a cardboard box. Enough of a size to keep priceless jewels in.

"Tell me what happened." Detective Wilde asked, diving straight into it. He slid his paw inside the empty safe, sweeping up the excess dust. He rubbed it between his fingers.

"I was alone in the house, it was during the middle of the night but my family were away at a Festival here in Bunny Burrow."

Detective Wilde brow furrowed. "Why didn't you go with them?"

Judy leaned her shoulder against the wall, facing him when she answer. "I have a job in Zootopia that I...go to time to time, I was tired and I came home late. I wanted to get some sleep." Her ears lowered. "I heard a crash, and I ran in here to find the thief with all the jewels stuffed in a bag."

"Did you see what type of animal it was?"

She shook her head. "It was too dark, the thief ran out through this window." She said as she walked over to a lone window behind the desk. He noticed that there was a piece of wood in between the the bottom frame. "This window could be open from the outside, which is why, I took precaution. It was the same day I went to you."

"What type of jewels they were?"

"Rubies, all rubies."

That made him rub his chin. That was the one thing that connected the thief to the last robbery in the museum. Taking a single ruby and moving on to rubies. The thief must have been smart to break in the safe and figuring out the combination. With a stethoscope and a little bit of patience, it must have taken less than an hour. His tongue went dry and he was in need of a drink. He would have to settle for water, since Judy told him she carries no liquor. It came to him with no surprise. The cool relief of the water cleared him of his headache and his thirst. Judy Hopps sat on her counter top, her sculpted legs placed over each other. Her dress dangerously showing off her hips. He watched carefully as his eyes slowly went up to her lips. She sipped at her hot tea and gently blew against it. The warm steam danced and kissed her lips before she took another drink.

"Are you sure you do not want any tea? Detective Wilde?" She asked softly.

He sniffed when he looked down at his empty glass. "Doesn't' suit me, Doll."

Her ear sprang up and she calmly placed her cup down on her lap. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"Well get used to it, or do you prefer me to call you Carrots?" He smirked, his canines gleaming. She jumped down from the counter top when she set her cup aside. Her dress whirled like a ballerina ending her dance when she faced him with a scowl.

"I prefer neither, Detective Wilde."

She took a step towards him and took his glass cup away. "Is there anything else?"

He tipped his hat at her when he stood up. "Thanks for the drink. That will be all for now." There was a few places he needed to scout. If he will have any luck into finding the Ruby Thief he would have to go to the first scene of the crime. He paused when he felt a small tug on his sleeve. His whiskers twitched when he saw Judy's small paw.

He saw her lower lip quiver at him when she spoke.

"Mr. Wilde, please find this animal." She asked gently. "Those jewels, were suppose to help my family keep our farm. We will soon lose it and without the jewels...we will lose our home."

Detective Wilde snorted and jerked his arm away. "Listen, Doll." he said with a slight roll of the tongue. "I ain't makin' any promises I can't keep. So save your voice, if I'll find them, I'll find them. If I won't-" He shrugged making her widen her eyes at him in disbelief. She wrenched herself away from him.

"What made you this way?" She demanded suddenly. "I come to you, desperate and you were nothing but cold to me in the very beginning! What have I ever done to you?"

He chuckled at her again and crossed his arms. "I'll make it simple for you. The reason you came to me, was because I'm sly. Is that right? Because I'm crafty?" Her nose twitched when he continued. "Because I'm a fox? The police didn't want to help you because they see you as a naive little bunny, they must have thought you made it up, and that perhaps you misplaced them?" He placed his paw on his chest. "Sly Fox." His paw moved to her. "Dumb Bunny."

"Don't you dare say that to me." She growled.

"Be as angry as you want, Doll. It's the truth, that's how you see me and that's what I see in you. I'm doing this to get paid, Sweetheart. I don't care about you, your family, or this little farm of yours. Just let me do my job, hmm?"

Her eyes narrowed hatefully, making him lift his chin up. "Fine." She growled. He smiled and walked away, heading out the door. He went over to his car, ready to leave The BunnyBurrows and head back into the smog filled city of Zootopia. His eyes caught a glimpse of the young bunny, Benjamin. Hiding in the cornfield, staring at him when he began to drive away. Detective Wilde lifted his eyes up to his rear-view mirror to see Judy Hopps, step outside on the porch, with his cigarette in between her lips.


End file.
